What is a copyright?
A copyright is the exclusive legal right of creators to reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or create derivative works from an original work. A copyright also gives its owner the exclusive right to license those usage rights to others.
The Federal Copyright Act (U.S.C. Title 17) and other cases, establish the following:
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A copyright comes into existence automatically the moment a professional photograph is created.
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By law, that copyright belongs to the photographer or the photographer’s studio.
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A customer who commissions and purchases the photograph does not thereby obtain ownership of the copyright.
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Any transfer of the copyright’s ownership to a customer must be outlined in writing.
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A lab, or other third party, who prints or reproduces photographs commercially, has a legal duty to ensure that the requested copy or intended use is lawful before filling the order.
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A photograph does not need to be marked with a copyright notice to be protected.
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A photograph does not need to be registered with the U.S. Copyright Office to be protected by copyright law, but more enforcement options are available for registered photos.
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A photograph can be marked with the © symbol immediately upon creation; it does not need to be registered first.
What That Means For You:
Personal Use
You may use your digital images for sharing online for personal use (such as social media, personal profiles, personal email, etc.) with photo credit clearly given to Swiftrun Photography.
Editorial Use
You may NOT use your images for display in online or print publications (such as training club websites, magazine submissions, books, blogs, breeder websites, calendars, news articles, advertisements, etc.). Please contact me to purchase an Editorial Use License for these purposes.
Commercial Use
You may NOT use your images for any purpose that will generate revenue, or be used to sell or promote a product, service, or idea. Advertising, marketing, and promotional activities all fall into this category. Please have the publisher contact me directly to purchase a Commercial Use License for these purposes.
